Tyrant
by The Rich Alder
Summary: Even as the flames rose higher and higher, she knew she could never look back. Her husband was a tyrant and a psychopath. And even though the urge to save her children yanked at her heart, she knew she could never return. First chapter fic!
1. The Runaway

Disclaimer: I don't own _Fire Emblem_

"Chrom?"

The blue-haired man formerly known as a prince lifted his head. "What?!" he snapped angrily.

Robin flinched behind the partially opened door. "You've been in there a long time," she said quietly. "Morgan wants a bedtime story."

"Just tell him I'll be out in a minute," he murmured.

Robin stepped into the room. "But he's worried about you. If you could just come out for a moment and-"

He whipped around and threw a glass bottle in her direction. It shattered against the wall. "I told you I'll be out in a minute!" he screamed.

Robin flinched and scrambled back towards the door. She could see he had been crying. Her heart pounding, she slammed the door behind her. She could still hear muffled noises from inside. _Don't tell me he's breaking stuff again._ She clenched her hands into fists as waves of frustration washed over her. "Not anymore…" she murmured to herself. She headed to her quarters, her steps dripping with fatigue.

 **Robin felt herself snap awake with the terror that she couldn't breathe.** As her eyes took a second to adjust, she could see that Chrom was on top of her, choking her. As she thrashed and struggled, she could see the mad, crazy look in his eyes. The deranged, blind rage.

"You made me do this," he hissed.

Blindly groping around her, Robin had the incredible luck of resting her hand upon an Arcthunder tome sitting on the bedstand. Even though she knew her chances were slim, she made a desperate grab for living and tried to summon the magic from it. She succeeded, and a brilliant flash rang out for a split second. Chrom went flying against the wall and crumpled down on the ground. Robin leaped out of the bed and ran blindly down the seemingly endless halls. _My husband just tried to kill me._ The thought resounded throughout her head, obstructing all rational thought. As she finally located the front entrance and ran outside, she could hear Chrom's enraged shouting from inside the palace. Her terrified mind only taking note of the words, she kicked up her speed another notch and headed into town. Her feet bled and she distinctly felt her toenail get caught on a stray stone and tear off. Despite the pain, she did not dare stop for even a moment. The fatigue didn't even catch up to her until she was well into town. As she slumped against the side of the building, she directed her attention towards the faint light emanating from the distance. She looked back towards the palace and the source of the light and could see that the palace was on fire. _He wouldn't!_ she thought in disbelief as she saw the licking flames rise higher and higher.

"Lucina! Morgan!" she screamed as she slumped down onto the ground. As her tears fell freely, she desperately tried to find a positive thought to rekindle her hope. _They probably got out. Chrom wouldn't leave them to burn to death._ Even though she knew her husband had lost his mind, she still saw that he could still form cognitive thoughts. And a very sensible one would be that it wouldn't be a very good idea to burn your only heirs down to the ground along with your house. _But if he was enraged enough to set the palace on fire…he might have been enraged enough to burn Lucina and Morgan down along with it…_

As she struggled to stand back up on her feet, she felt two arms wrap themselves around her. As she stiffened, she could distinctly hear a familiar voice say, "Shush, Bubbles, it's just me."

She turned around to look at Gaius. "What..?"

He was looking at the burning palace in the distance. "We better hide. If I know Blue, he probably sent out every soldier from here to Valm looking for you."

She tried to push past him and head back toward the palace, but she felt Gaius wrap his arms around her, preventing her from leaving. "But I have to go save Morgan and Lucina!"

"I'm sure he hasn't harmed them."

"But I can't just leave them with…with…that _tyrant_!" she spat. Just the mere thought of what her children could be going through brought tears to her eyes.

"You'll have to." Gaius' reply had an eerie finality to it that made Robin remain quiet and not protest.

"But…"

"People like him… They won't stop until you stop them. Right now, we aren't powerful enough to do that." He looked around as the townspeople started to come out of their homes to look at the blazing display in the distance. "Come on; we want to be seen as little as possible. When the guards reach this town, the last thing we need is an eyewitness to give us away."

Silently and in a daze, Robin let him lead her away.

Wow, first chapter fic, huh. I'm interested to see how this goes. I think I'm finally back in the swing of things! It's only been a day since my last post. I'll make sure to elaborate on why Chrom's acting like a little bitch and why it's just Gaius in the next chapter, if I remember. If I don't, y'all are free to yell at me in chapter 2's reviews. I hope to hear everyone's thoughts. Anyway, hope y'all enjoyed~

 **Listening to: 'Drop Pop Candy' cover by Gumi and YOHIOloid**


	2. The Beginnings of a Plan

Robin blinked as her eyes adjusted to the light. _Where am I_? Upon closer examination, it seemed like she was in a bedroom. In a single flash, the memories of last night ran throughout her head. She stumbled against the bedpost and grounded herself against the only stable thing she could find. She felt a wetness drip down her face. _I'm crying…_ she thought to herself as she wiped a hand down her face. As she sat down and tried to calm herself down, she heard the door creak open.

"Bubbles? You all right?"

It was Gaius.

Robin nodded, a lump in her throat.

Gaius sat on the bed and put an arm around her. "If it wouldn't kill ya, could I get an explanation during breakfast?"

She nodded once again and dried some more tears. "Yeah," she choked out.

Gaius left the room, and she remained on the bed for a few more minutes until she calmed down sufficiently. Realizing that she hadn't taken anything with her, Robin headed to the inn's dining room. Gaius was waiting for her at a table, his hair looking ruffled as if he had just gotten out of bed.

Robin sat down at the table and got a simple slice of bread. Gaius got something covered in chocolate, though Robin didn't care enough to take note.

"You think you can tell me what's up with Chrom?" Gaius asked.

Robin looked down grimly. "It started ever since Emmeryn died. Although, at the time we were too busy dealing with Gangrel. Even after Gangrel, we soon had to deal with Validar. He had to deal with his own emotional problems from his family's death while managing Grima and Validar and Gangrel. And to add onto that, he also had to be there for Morgan and Lucina. Not to mention Little Lucina." She smiled sadly. "It was inevitable that he would become this way. It's just because of all these things keeping him busy that he managed to hold off for so long."

"I've noticed something was up with him lately," Gaius commented. "I've seen it for a few years now. I've seen the bruises you'd have in the morning. For a while, I just thought I was being paranoid. No one else noticed it. Vaike and Gregor said I was crazy. It's sad to say, but I've seen those kind of bruises before. Although abuse isn't a thing in the Shepherds, but it's fairly common in Ylisse. Hell, from what I've seen, I'm pretty sure it's common everywhere." He scowled. "I know it's none of my business, but I don't agree with the philosophy that women are property."

Robin nodded and sighed. "But if he did those things to me, what is there to say he won't do them to Morgan and Lucina?"

"He probably will. They can't stop him."

"I have to go get them!" Robin insisted. "I can't leave them with him!"

Gaius sighed and looked straight at Robin. "If you try and get them now, you'll be caught. He'll catch you and abuse all of you. But if you wait a few years and form a revolution to overthrow the exalt, you can stop the abuse. The only way you can end this is to stand up and fight. But you need other people to help you along the way." He scowled. "Besides, I'm sure Chrom's telling the other Shepherds that we're traitors that burned down the palace and ran away. I bet most of them hate us by now."

"But Cordelia is my best friend…"

"Not anymore," Gaius corrected. "They all probably hate us. They're being told to attack us on sight. For now, we just need to lie low and form an army. Look, Bubbles, are you with me or not?"

Robin paused for a second, but accepted his outstretched hand. "All right; I'm with you. But I'm only doing it for Lucina and Morgan. They deserve better."

Gaius grinned. "Great. For our first move, I say we head far out toward the border."

"No," Robin interrupted. "If you wish to _overthrow_ the exalt, you want to be where you can most relate to angry Ylisseans. That would be closer to the capital, like here."

"But Chrom's going to find us," Gaius argued.

"Doesn't matter. We're not going to find anybody if we go there." Robin fixed him with a piercingly cold, grey gaze that went right through him. "Even if it's more risky here, it's worth it if we can gain people."

Gaius sighed. "Fine, Bubbles. I guess we can stay here." He fixed his gaze upon her. "The only problem is managing to avoid Chrom while rallying the people."

For the first time in a while, Robin actually smiled and meant it. "I'm sure there's a way."

Gaius shrugged and rolled his eyes. "You're quite a handful, you know that, Bubbles?"

* * *

And another chapter down! Is it too short? I just see it as the right place to end the scene. What do you think about Chrom's madness? Do you think it's realistic? Please let me know in the reviews! I think I'm doing pretty good for my first chapter story. I think I explained why Gaius was the only one. Just in case, Gaius was the only one who noticed because he's traveled the world, and knows the universal signs of abuse. Although considering Noire's past, I wonder why she didn't notice :p. Anyway, hope y'all enjoyed~

 **Listening to: 'Secret' cover by Gumi**


	3. First Recruit

Robin sighed as she slowly tended to flames of the fire. "I figured we'd have _something_ by now," she grumbled.

Gaius sighed and leaned back farther against the tree trunk. "C'mon, Bubbles. Don't take that attitude." He smiled to himself. "Besides, we'll find someone today. I feel it."

"That's what you've been saying for the past three months now."

"Well, excuse me if my intuition has been off!" he blustered. "Anyway, I'm sure it's today!"

Robin smiled cynically and rolled her eyes. "Whatever…" The fire made a loud crackling noise and Robin took that as a sign that it was ready. She took the dead voles laying on the tree stump and speared them on the stick. As she saw their bodies turn a dark blackish, she turned around towards Gaius. "Breakfast's ready."

Gaius smiled and stood up. As he walked over and sat next to Robin, he asked, "Aren't you accustomed to fancy food after bein' with Blue for such a long time?"

Robin smiled grimly. "Not really. I remember the days before we were married, when all the Shepherds ate meat we found on the land."

Gaius sighed. "I remember there weren't any sweets, either."

Robin handed him the stick and they ate. Right after, they poured water on the fire and continued onward. The rustic countryside was starting to develope a biting chill, and both of them realized they would have to start spending the night in inns soon. As the wind whipped up, they could distinctly hear battle cries echoing in the distance.  
"Should we go another way?" Gaius muttered.

"No. Keep going," Robin replied resolutely. "I think we should join in."

"But they might be hostile to outsiders," Gaius protested.

"Doesn't matter. We need people."

"But-"

Robin whipped her head around and glared at him. "We need people, Gaius! I'm not going to just lounge around Ylisse and waste time while Lucina and Morgan are back there, stuck with that tyrant! It's been three months, Gaius. Who knows what he's done to them?" She looked ahead grimly. "We're going."

Gaius shut his mouth and grabbed a silver sword as they increased their pace. As they started to run, Robin withdrew her Arcfire tome from her cloak. _I swear, this woman is going to be the end of me_ , Gaius thought. As they charged into the melee, Gaius followed Robin.

"Split up and fight those wearing red," she ordered.

Gaius nodded and veered off to the right. There was a giant hulk of a man wielding an axe and wearing red. Gaius smiled. _Perfect._ Before the big man could blink, Gaius had circled around him and stabbed him.

While Gaius was busying himself, Robin looked for a high outcrop. As she reached the top, she looked around to see what would be the best possible outcome. Green seemed to be winning, but a stray archer was in trouble. Taking a running start, Robin headed down the outcrop and blasted the opposition with Arcfire. The archer seemed winded, but not wounded. He stood up and turned to face her.

He nodded. "Thanks."

Robin smiled back and gestured to the fighting around them. "Can you still shoot?"

He nodded and withdrew an arrow from the quiver. "How about I speak with you afterwards?"

Robin agreed and ran off. As she attacked more and more red opponents, she was realizing that the numbers were deteriorating. Finally, she stopped, as she could no longer find another opponent to deal with. As cries of exuberance resounded from the greens, Robin found herself facing the archer she had saved earlier.

"Thanks for saving me," the archer replied, his brown hair fluttering in the harsh wind.

"It's nothing," Robin replied. "Why were you all fighting?"

The archer looked down. "We're fighting against the tax collectors that have come to our village. If you and your friend hadn't shown up, we probably would have lost."

The archer's response made Robin start suddenly. "So you're mad at the Exalt?" she asked.

"Yeah, pretty much. He's increased the tax a lot ever since three months ago. We can't afford the increase, but eventually he'll send to many people over here for us to deal with. When that happens, we'll be arrested and maybe even executed."

Robin paused for a moment, considering her options. "How about you join us? We're trying to start a rebellion."

"How many people do you have?"

"Two," she admitted. "Me and Gaius."

The archer smiled and extended his hand. "I'll join. My name's Felix."

Robin smiled and accepted the hand. "Nice to meet you. I better introduce you to Gaius." They walked off, looking for their accomplice.

* * *

 **Robin sighed softly as she blew out the lantern sitting on the bedside.** As she settled down under the covers, she reflected on the events of earlier. Finally, she had taken her first step. _No_ , she thought to herself. _I took my first step when I decided to run away and stop the abuse._ For the first time in a while, she felt happy with her decision as she settled down. _Morgan, Lucina, I'm coming for you_ , she promised as her eyelids slid lower and lower. And, for once, she felt absolutely sure she could keep that vow.

* * *

Wow, really impressed with this one. I think Felix is a really strange name for _Fire Emblem_ , but he just struck me as a Felix for some reason. As far as I think this is going to go, he's not gonna be a big character, since I'm not a big fan of OCs. That's also why I like to keep Robin as default, since a customized Robin just seems too close to an OC for me. Anyway, I hope to see where this goes next chapter. Hope y'all enjoyed~

 **Listening to: The Kids Aren't Alright by Fall Out Boy**


	4. Nightmares

_Robin squinted against the eerie light that she saw in the distance._ Where am I? _she wondered as she walked toward the growing light. She seemed to be at the end of a forest. In front of her was a clearing. The light seemed to be emanating from there. As she approached the clearing, she drew in a gasp of shock. As blood and corpses littered the ground, she looked past to see Chrom standing in the center. He had a crown of thorns upon his head, and he laughed maniacally. Lucina and Morgan stood by his side, both almost fully grown._

 _Chrom looked at her. "So you're finally here, Robin. It's been a long time. Tell me; how's life as a traitor going?"_

 _Robin grit her teeth and stepped forward. "_ You're _the traitor!" she hissed._

 _Chrom smirked and chuckled. "I don't need to quibble with one such as yourself." He never stopped smirking as he said, "Kill her."_

 _Lucina and Morgan advanced, a blank look in their eyes. Robin was prepared to defend herself, but she realized that she was unarmed. As she slowly backed away from them, she tried to use peaceful methods._

 _"Lucina, Morgan, it's me."_

 _Neither replied, though their gazes - if somehow possible - turned even sharper and colder. Lucina raised Falchion up while Morgan withdrew a tome from his cloak._

 _"I'm your mother," Robin pleaded._

 _"You're no mother of ours," Lucina replied icily. She swung the sword down. The scene suddenly changed from the battlefield to the bedroom. As Robin recovered from the previous shock, she started to remember the scene unfolding out in front of her._

 _Chrom approached her. He was scowling. Without a word, he violently shoved her against the wall. "There's another man in your life, isn't there?!" he growled._

 _"No. Of course not!" Robin gasped as she struggled to keep her air supply from cutting off._

 _He hit her. Robin felt nothing physically, but the mental pain flared up like an old burn that was suddenly stimulated. As she distinctly felt a red, burning mark start to take form on her cheek, she could feel him leaning in close. "Don't lie to me!" he screamed. "You're not satisfied with me, so you're going to someone else!"_

 _As Robin shook her head frantically, Chrom leaned in lecherously. "Maybe I should_ make _you be satisfied with me," he murmured. His quiet tone terrified Robin more than any physical abuse he could have given her. As he began to sneak his fingers_ down there _, Robin gulped and tried to jerk away from his grip._

 _No," she moaned. "Not there."_

 _Chrom did not reply, but instead increased his motions. As Robin distinctly felt herself getting wet, she became more and more vocal about her indignation._

 _Finally, Chrom shoved her to the floor. He started groping her, not taking into consideration how rough he was being, and how much it hurt._

 _"Stop!" she pleaded._

 _"But you must like it," Chrom replied. "After all, I can definitely tell you're aroused."_

 _"That's a bullshit defense!"_

 _As Robin gasped for air, she felt herself getting dizzy. As everything went black, she could at least be relieved that she couldn't feel what he was doing to her anymore._

* * *

 **Robin woke up with a gasp.** As she felt the sweat pouring down her face, she felt a severe sense of shame start to flood through her.

As the tears started to stream down her face, she could hear the door creak open. "Bubbles? You okay?"

Gaius walked in and saw her crying silently. He got closer to the bed and sat near her. "Is everything all right?" he inquired gently.

As Robin nodded silently, he put his arm around her. All at once, she began to sob. And even though it was the middle of the night and they were in an inn, Gaius didn't stop her or tell her to be quiet. The only thing he did was hold her close and listen to her woes. And that was enough for Robin.

"I-I had a nightmare," she explained finally through sobs.

"Do you want to tell me what is was about?"

Robin paused for a moment as another wave of sobs washed over her. "We had a confrontation. He ordered Lucina and Morgan to kill me. They told me that I was no mother to them." She stopped as she pondered telling him the second dream. Not really thinking about it, she decided to tell him about the second dream. "Then…I was with Chrom in the bedroom. He accused me of having an affair. When I denied it, he started to… He started to…" She stopped as she choked on a sob. "He sexully assaulted me," she gasped out.

Gaius pressed her close. "It sounds like you just need someone to help you if you have bad dreams. Maybe I should spend the night here."

Robin found herself unable to argue. And as they settled back down, she found herself noticing how warm he was. As he put his arm over her protectively, Robin was ashamed to admit that she didn't really mind.

"Love you, Bubbles."

Robin didn't know if he had whispered it, or if it was just her imagination. And as she drifted off to sleep, she found herself not really caring either way.

* * *

Wow, fanservice, amiright? I just blew through this chapter in an hour cuz something happened earlier today. My friend was sexually assaulted at Kennywood and I found myself getting really upset about it. I didn't see it, I didn't even see the perpetrators, but I started crying. There I was, 13 years-old and crying in the middle of an amusement park. And I wasn't crying because I was scared that it would happen to me; I was crying because I didn't want the perpetrators to get away with it. It wasn't just my friend. There were going to be more victims because the guys who did it didn't see any downside. They just did it for shits and giggles. What if it's somebody younger?

I started crying because I wanted justice for my friend, after what they did to her, and what they'll probably do to other people. Of course, the guys didn't get caught and I was still pretty upset and it was, like, 10 at night. But what really got me was that, at one point, the guys who did it were only 15 feet away from me. I didn't see them, but my friend did while she was on a ride. They were on the other side of the ride. If I had just been on the other side, I would have seen the guys and thought about how they looked like the description my friend gave me and I would have snapped a picture. I could have turned that in to officials and that would have prevented the chance of there being any more victims. But I wasn't and that's what got me. Anyway, hope y'all enjoyed~

 **Listening to: Photograph by Ed Sheeran**


	5. Shame and Reflection

A loud tapping noise could be heard as Robin paced around the window. "When can we get going?" she huffed at Gaius.

Gaius raised his hands in a _What can I do?_ look. "Sorry, Bubbles, but the blizzard's gonna be a while. We're just gonna hafta stay in the inn until then."

"How long?"

Gaius shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe today and part of tomorrow?"

Robin scowled. "We need to get more people, Gaius. We only have about a dozen or so. Hell, I don't remember half their names."

Gaius clenched his hands, but his gaze remained clear. "Just give it a bit of time, Bubbles. Look, I'm no expert, but I think the key to having a good army is to understand and respect those who fight for you. You said something something to me once. 'We're not pawns of some scripted fate. It's the invisible ties we forge that bind us.' Do you remember saying that?" Gaius looked intently into her eyes. "You've changed, Robin." He turned around and walked out of the room.

Robin leaned back against the wall, genuinely ashamed at how she was acting and surprised that Gaius had actually said her real name. As she leaned back against the wall, she found herself with no idea of what to do.

"What does it matter what he thinks?" she huffed. As she turned her head away from the window, she found herself staring at the floor. As she sat back on the bed, she started to reflect on Gaius' words. On what he had said last week after her nightmares.

 _What do I care what he thinks?_ she asked herself. _He's free to moon over me, but it's not like I'm ever going to reciprocate anything. Been there, done that. I've fallen in love before, and look where that's gotten me…_ She frowned as she leaned back against the pillows. _And even if I did like Gaius, now wouldn't exactly be the best time to engage in such matters. I mean, it's not like I'm even_ thinking _about liking Gaius. I don't like him back at all. …Right?_ she wondered to herself. Listlessly, she wandered over to the bathhouse to wash up. As she soaked her face, she felt her thought start to clear up a little.

As the droplets shattered on her ebony skin, she noticed an old bruise marring her wrist. _How many months ago was that?_ she wondered. _When did Chrom give that to me?_ She felt a smoky anger start to smolder in the pit of her chest. _Yes. With the single action evident in this bruise, he stripped away and divested my right as a woman and as a person. He may have been my husband, and at one point I may have loved him, but now I'm going to stand up for myself and every other woman who's ever felt this way. And, most of all, I'm doing it for Morgan and Lucina, the two most precious treasures I have ever had the pleasure to know and care for._ As she deformed the bar of soap in her hand by clenching her fingers, she felt the water soak her hair and drag it down towards the ground. _Nothing's going to keep me down,_ she told herself. _That's a promise._

* * *

I'm sorry for it being so short, but I have to issue an apology. I forgot a few formalities in regard to the previous chapter. I mean to change the rating to M after chapter 4, but I suddenly got sick and forgot all about it. And I realize I must have sounded insensitive at the end. At the time when I wrote the entire chapter, it was 11:30 at night and I was extremely upset. My friend had been sexually assaulted and so I incorporated it into the story because it was a big subject happening in my life at the moment. When I was explaining it at the end, I was extremely tired and was practically on auto-pilot, so I can see how I probably sounded insensitive. I did not mean to offend anybody, and I hope I can be forgiven. And I also did not issue a warning in the beginning, because I've read plenty of graphic rape scenes on with no prior warning, so I didn't see it as a big deal to feature such a warning. If such a thing offended you, I issue my sincerest apology, and I will try to abstain from making such an infraction again. Hope y'all enjoyed~

Listening to: Lay Me Down by Sam Smith


	6. Confessions

Robin paused, her chest heaving up and down as she panted for air. As Gaius passed her up the hill, he flashed her a grin. "Come on, Bubbles. You getting out of shape or something?"

Robin rolled her eyes and picked up the pace. All around them, countless people were heading toward the same destination. Robin felt a sense of pride warm her breast. In just five years, they had already recruited a couple hundred people. Most of them were advanced classes, except for the new ones. A lot of the really old members were capped. And as Robin felt a sharp rush of wind whip her hair back, she had a sudden impulse to cry out in elation and pride at what they had accomplished.

As they reached the top of the hill, they all leaped from the top and went charging down, sounding war cries. The melee down below didn't stop or even slow down despite the sudden newcomers. They merely joined in, cutting and slashing their way through the opposition. Robin had already discussed it with everyone. They knew which side to fight for, and which side would most likely win. As waves of opponents fell underneath their ranks, they surged ahead.

Robin grabbed an Elwind tome and leaped into the fray with the rest of them. A small boy tried vainly to swing a giant sword at her, but she was too quick. As she avoided the swing, she circled around his tiny frame and blew him over. _He looks like he's 13 or something,_ she thought to herself as she raced away towards her next opponent. Many of the people she faced after that were brawny men, however, so the boy seemed to be the only exception. As the last of the enemy faded, Robin felt a cool breeze whip past and send her hair aflutter. As Gaius and a few of the older members scouted for those who might want to join, she turned away and headed toward the next camp area.

Gaius came running up from behind her. "Bubbles!" he shouted, sounding unnaturally excited. "I gotta discuss something with you later."

"What is it?" Robin asked crossly. She had been busy inspecting logs to see which ones were dry.

Gaius flashed her his old, cocky smile. "I'll tell you once we set up camp. But I will tell you that it's important."

Robin gave him a disapproving frown, but Gaius was already tramping off before he could see it. As Robin finally gave up the act and smiled softly, she couldn't help but flash back to all those nights where Gaius would leave blankets on her after she had fallen asleep from strategizing all night. Or that day when he saved her breakfast when she got up too late to enjoy any. _He's always been there for me. Maybe…even while I was married to Chrom,_ she realized. The thought hit her so suddenly, she stopped what she was doing for a moment. _Now that I think about it, he made me that really nice pendant. At the time, I thought it was because of his secret. But perhaps…_ She shook her head abruptly. _No, he wouldn't do that. Gaius is wise enough to know better than to moon over a married woman. Especially one that was married to his best friend. Well, ex-best friend, anyway._ She sighed out loud as she felt the next log. "It doesn't matter," she told herself. As she finished up her job, she couldn't help but wonder what he was going to say.

* * *

 **Robin turned around from her studies as she heard the tent curtain rustle.** As Gaius bent over slightly to fit his tall frame through the opening, Robin fixed her piercingly cold and inquisitive gaze on him.

"You wanted to speak with me?" she asked.

Gaius sat down at the table and looked straight at her. "Robin, I think it's finally time."

"For what?"

He sighed. "To tell you the real way I feel."

Almost against her will, Robin felt herself blush. "Gaius, I don't think this is the best time-"

"I need to say my feelings now or never. I've gone this far, so I might as well finish what I've started."

The words reminded her of something another man once said to her. A man she had loved with all her heart.

"O-kay?" she managed to get out.

Gaius sighed once more as he began to knead his fingers into the wood. "What I want to say, Bubbles, is that I've loved you for a long time. Even before you were married to Blue. And, I'm ashamed to say, _during_ your marriage to him, as well. It's just…I've never met anyone quite like you. I've been all over the world and I've traveled many places. But never have I encountered anybody even distinctly resembling your character. You're one of a kind, Bubbles." He smiled right at her. "And I really hope you can return my feelings."

Robin felt her heart sink as she faced her feelings. "I'm sorry, Gaius. I can't. Not after what happened three years ago. Between Chrom and me… I just can't."

Gaius' face fell. "I understand. Even though it was three years since we started this, you still feel the scars. I get it. I know." He tried to smile at her. "But maybe one day… If you ever think you're ready… _I'm here_ ," he whispered.

As her eyes slowly filled with tears, Robin shoved past him and headed out of the tent. _I can't be going through all this again,_ she told herself. As she struggled to wipe away the evidence of her shame, she ran into a tree.

"Bubbles!" Gaius grabbed her hand and kneeled down. As he inspected the bruise starting to form on her forehead, she noticed that his eyes purposely avoided the area around the center of her face.

 _He's trying to pretend that he doesn't know I'm crying._ She turned her face away and stood up. "Thanks for checking."

Gaius managed a faint smile. "It's fine; nothing's wrong. It'll just be a small bruise."

As they walked away, Robin felt a small twinge of guilt gnaw at her. _Maybe I should…_ She snapped out of it quickly. _And what? Fall in love again? I don't need to deal with that bullshit all over again._ For some reason, she felt that it was too late. Perhaps she had already fallen for him. Without thinking to, she felt her feet start to steer her around. She tackled Gaius and wrapped her arms around him. "You're forgetting something," she whispered.

Gaius froze to a stop and rested his hands on top of hers. "I guess I have," he admitted before kissing her.

As Robin gasped for breath, she tightened her hand around him. "Why don't we spend the night in your tent?"

Gaius smirked at her and laughed. "Wow, Bubbles, you sure change your mind fast!" Together, they stumbled towards Gaius' tent.

* * *

Wow, it really turned out different than I expected. I was originally planning not for Gaius to confess his feelings, but rather for him to suggest it was time to rise up against Chrom. But then I realized that I was skipping around too much time-wise, so I just decided to pull some plot-fodder out of my ass and changed what Gaius was going to say. Maybe I'll put that next time skip where they battle Chrom in the next chapter. I'm excited to include the other Shepherds in the story, which will probably happen in the next chapter.

Be aware I will skip around a lot time-wise. When they face Chrom, it will be 10 years from when the first chapter took place. So, I guess that's seven years from this chapter. Anyway, hope y'all enjoyed~


	7. Checkmate

Robin groaned as she rolled over in the sunlight. "Gods, what time is it?" she groaned.

"Rise and shine, Bubbles," Gaius said, standing over her.

As Robin rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, she sat up and look right at him. His tall figure cast a shadow over her, giving her a nice break from the sun's unrelenting rays. His green eyes glimmered and matched the trees and foliage around them.

"What's today's plans?" Robin sighed.

Gaius faced her down grimly. "Today, we're finally going to make things right. We're going to overthrow the tyrant."

For a moment, Robin felt an icy flash of anxiety. Thoughts of the confrontation they would have after ten years of separation made her heart flutter. After what he had done to her… She knew his mind-games. He was a mastermind when it came to manipulating and hurting others. After Grima, Chrom had become as equally skilled in the mind as he was with the sword.

Another thought suddenly hit her. What would Morgan and Lucina think of her? After all, she had left for ten years. She had left them to fend for themselves against the monster that was her husband.

Gaius tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey, snap out of it, Bubbles." He smiled. "Don't worry; you're out of his grasp now." The smile turned a slight bit lecherous. "And anyway, you're _mine_ now." He started to tickle her until she was breathless from laughing so hard.

"I-It's not me that I'm worried about," she sputtered as the laughing finally died off. "I'm worried about what Lucina and Morgan will think. Even though I've cut my ties with Chrom, they're still my children, Gaius. I never cut my ties with them, and I love them with all my heart." She paused as emotion started to take over her. "All this time, I never forgot about them. I did this for their sake, and their sake alone. And now…it's finally time to get them back..!" she sobbed.

Gaius knelt down and embraced her. "It's all right, Robin. I'm here with you. I'll be with you every step of the way."

Robin smiled in spite of herself. "Sheesh, you really dedicate yourself. How long have we been together? Seven years?"

Gaius chuckled. "Longer than you've been with Blue."

As the two prepared to pack up camp, they each looked far towards the east, for they knew that history was about to be made.

* * *

 **Robin finally sighed in defeat as the last signs of sunset faded into dusk.** "I guess we're setting up camp here tonight," she announced.

Gaius strided up to her, sweaty from the equipment he had to carry. "We may not face Blue today, but I'm sure it's gonna go down tomorrow."

Robin nodded solemnly. "Right. We're right on the edge of the territory. Tomorrow, we'll battle for sure." Her eyes glimmered as she looked towards the horizon. "As brave as I want to be," she admitted, "I'll admit I'm terrified of tomorrow's struggle." She smiled bitterly at herself. "I guess I'm still just a chickenshit."

"Now don't say that," Gaius protested. "You're one of the bravest women I know. And trust me, I know a lot of people." He smiled at her and held her hands. "You took a stand, Robin. You stopped the circle of abuse. And just that singular action was braver than almost anything I've seen so far in my life. You're the bravest person I've ever met."

And as she struggled to keep the tears from falling down her face, she hugged him as tightly as she could. "Oh, Gaius…"

He draped his hand over her neck. "Come on; we have to go over strategies for tomorrow."

The two headed for the tent.

* * *

 **Chrom sighed as he waited for the messenger.** _This is so tedious_ , he thought to himself. The incompetent woman he generously referred to as a messenger was late, as always. The only reason he still kept her was so he could fuck her whenever he wanted. She was a pathetic thing, willing to do whatever to please him. Once he grew tired of her, he would throw her away like the rest.

Suddenly, a jittery woman burst through the palace doors. "Lord Chrom!" she gasped. She stopped in front of him and bowed. "I have received word that there is a formidable army on the perimeter. It is led by…," she gulped, "none other than your old wife!" she announced.

Chrom raised an eyebrow. _Hmmm? So she's come back. Took her long enough. Oh well. They always come back for more._ "Do not attempt to parley with them," he ordered. "Engage in battle in the morning."

The woman bowed and took off. Sumia wrapped her arms around Chrom. "I wonder how Robin's doing?" she asked.

"It doesn't matter," Cordelia replied from beside Chrom. Both women, along with Maribelle, were dressed in silken outfits that could clearly show their underclothes. "She's a traitor. She attempted to burn the castle down to the ground, along with our beloved Chrom."

Chrom stroked her hair, and she almost purred. "It doesn't matter," he told them. "What's in the past is in the past." He snapped his fingers. "Lucina?"

A tall, slim girl walked out from the corridor. "Yes, Father?"

"Prepare Morgan and the others. We have an old friend to meet."

Her eyes burned with an icy fire of hatred as she replied, "As you wish."

Chrom smiled to himself as she walked away. _Perfect. They're all so stupid._ His gaze once more returned to the chess board he had lost interest in previously. As he moved the queen in on the white king, he grinned maliciously. "I'm afraid this is Checkmate, my dear little Robin."

* * *

Wow, so much feelz, though. Chrom's got himself a harem, composed of Cordelia, Sumia and Maribelle. I couldn't imagine Sully dressed like that, so I just left her out to marry Stahl. Anyway, I hope to see where this goes. It's been a nice ride, and I'm happy to see I'm almost finished. Hope y'all enjoyed~

 **Listening to: Bad Girls by MKTO**


	8. Breaking Point

Robin smiled grimly as their army slowly marched toward the capital. _Here it is, finally. The day I've been waiting ten long years for,_ she thought to herself. The only sounds around her were the echo of hundreds of footsteps.

Gaius put his arm around her, and snapped her out of her grim musings. "Hey, Bubbles. Cheer up." He gave her a semi-serious look as he bent down slightly to look her in the eye. "You've waited so long for this. Think of Morgan and Lucina. You've finally came back for them. I know it's been a painful process, but…" he wrapped his arms around her for a moment, "we're here now. And that's all that matters."

Robin smiled to herself as Gaius let her go. While they continued to walk, Robin found herself counting her steps. After a few moments, she realized something sounded off. There were odd steps in between the army's. _Someone's approaching_ , she realized. She stopped dead in her tracks. "Prepare for battle!" she screamed.

For a moment, the army stopped. Suddenly, a massive force charged over the hill and directly conflicted them. As everyone dropped what they were doing and charged into battle, Robin seized the Levin Sword that was sheathed by her sword and ran forward. As she kept her icy calm, she distinctly could see familiar faces. She saw Donnel run someone through with a spear. Shortly after, she witnessed Kjelle strike down multiple opponents.

But even as Robin was beginning to get a bad feeling, she could see that her army was no pushover either. Her men surged forward, overpowering the front lines. As they continued to make progress, gradually fighting off more and more of the opposing side, Robin found herself coming to an abrupt, jarring stop. Shouts of, "There's a blockade!" swept through her army.

At the very front were countless Generals lined up side-by-side. They were thrusting their shields forward, blocking any further advancement. As Robin and Gaius fought their way to the front of the throng, she could see a small opening in between two of the shields. The chaos around them was distracting enough to see that nobody had yet to notice the opening. With a mutual nod between them, Robin and Gaius slipped through it and ran off toward the palace. As they started to cover distance, Robin could make out several figures standing at the door. As they came closer, Robin recognized them as Sumia, Cordelia, and Maribelle. She was about to call out to them when Gaius put his hand on her shoulder.

"Wait!" His gaze sharpened as he stared at them. "They're not our comrades."

Robin stopped as she paid attention to their features. They were all scowling and poised to attack. Both Robin and Gaius tensed up as well and proceeded onward.

"Cordelia," Robin said stiffly at last.

"Robin," Cordelia replied, smirking.

Robin started to reach for her tome before Gaius stopped her once more. "Wait. I'll fight them for you. You're gonna need all your strength to fight Chrom." He smiled at her. "Just go; I'll handle it."

"Oh? Fighting for your little bird? You never did that for _me_ , Gaius," Cordelia taunted.

Gaius glared at her. "That's because you never believed me. You took _his_ side."

"Aw, don't be like that," Cordelia said. "We were _married_. It's not like you didn't expect for us to disagree."

As Robin ran toward the palace, she could hear Sumia and Maribelle join in the fight, too. She didn't dare turn around in fear that she would go back and help Gaius. Rather, she just ran faster down the corridors. She didn't know how long she had ran, but a terrible feeling of deja vu was creeping up on her. _When did I do this before?_ she wondered as she turned a corner. The memory was still as fresh as if it had happened yesterday. The only difference between the what had happened 10 years ago and what was happening at the moment was that it was much cooler, due to there not being a raging fire. But just remembering the fire was making Robin sweat. Nevertheless, she didn't dare stop, for fear that she would lose her nerve.

She finally stopped as she came upon a door. There was no doubt about it - it was the main door. It towered above her, at least 15 feet high. The foreboding feeling Robin was getting told her what she feared. Behind that door was the man she was looking for. It was her final battle.

For a second, she hesitated. _Should I really open it? Do I really want to know who or what is on the other side?_ She shoved those thoughts away and pushed the door open.

* * *

 **Chrom yawned slightly as he cracked his fingers.** Although he didn't look excited, inside he was practically squealing. Finally, the day had come that he had been waiting 10 long years for.

"Oh, my precious, little Robin," he murmured almost to himself. "Are you finally returning home to your cage now?" He was tired of Cordelia, Sumia, and Maribelle. They all threw themselves at his feet. In the beginning, he had thought that perhaps Maribelle give him a bit of a struggle. But right away, even she too was bending to his every need and want like a dog. He liked a woman that struggled against him. It made it that much more satisfying to break them. After all, abuse and rape weren't about sex; they were about power. She had eventually broken free from the cage, though, and ran away. Now, she was here once more. He could make her his pet again. But this time…he knew that it would be much more satisfying to break her than any other woman.

As the door creaked open, Chrom smiled as his pulse sped up. _Finally, we can finish where we left off..!_

* * *

Okay, I have to apologize since it's taking me so long to update! I have a lot of other fanfiction stuff on my plate. I have a huge beta reading job that I'm going to be in for the long run. I was also asked to be a mod for the No. 6 forum. Along with that, I have a request to do for No. 6. And to top that all off, I'm heading to a wedding across the country, so I'm spending 12 hours without wifi. And after that, I'll probably be spending time with my cousins. I'm trying my best to finish each chapter as soon as possible, but I have a lot of other things I need to do. I hope you understand.

Also, I totally forgot about Olivia in the last chapter. Eh, can't help it, I guess. Already published that. Guess she married Lon'qu and had Inigo, so I could ship Inigo/Lucina. Anyway, hope y'all enjoyed~


	9. Past Mistakes

Gaius grunted softly to himself as he pushed himself to his feet. Maribelle and Sumia had already been defeated. All that was left was _her_.

Cordelia smirked to herself as she faced him. "Poor Gaius," she taunted. "You've worried yourself to death over another woman. Are you worried you're going to lose control again?" Although Cordelia was grinning, Gaius could see the burning rage underneath her apathetic mask.

 _She's still angry,_ he realized. _Even though that was 11 years ago…_

* * *

 _ **Cordelia glared at him as she held a tiny Severa close to her.**_ _"What the hell do you want?!" she shouted angrily._

 _Gaius stumbled as he suddenly grabbed Cordelia. "What are you saying?" he slurred angrily. "Shut the hell up!"_

 _She flinched and yanked her hand back. "Who the hell do you think you are?!" she demanded._

 _Gaius dropped the book he was holding and stumbled. He leaned against the table. "Do you really want to do this?!" he snarled._

 _Cordelia glared daggers at him as she held Severa close. "Get the hell out," she said calmly._

 _Gaius stood up and faced her. "It isn't your job to tell me what to do," he barked._

 _Cordelia took a step forward and looked him right in the eye. "I won't hesitate to force you to leave. I've tried to make this work, but I just can't anymore."_

 _Gaius glared at her for a second longer, but saw that she was reaching for her spear. Knowing well enough that he was unarmed, he began to back away. "Fine!" he snapped. "But this isn't the last of me!"_

 _He barged his way out the door and blindly stumbled forward, not really caring where he was going. Back at the house, the faint sound of a child crying could be heard._

* * *

Gaius grimaced as the memory flooded back to him. _That was a mistake,_ he told himself. _You promised you'd never be like that again. You'll never be like Blue._ He straightened his sword as he blocked Cordelia's hit.

"So how's Severa doing?" he asked casually.

"Fine, now that you're out of her life," Cordelia replied icily as she swung at him once more.

Gaius dodged to the side and tried to maneuver behind her. Cordelia immediately swung around behind her. _She's not going to let her guard down at all around me,_ he thought. _Of course. After all, she's had a lot of practice._ He pushed the grim thoughts away as he tried to find her blind spot. No matter where he went, though, she was always waiting for him. _I'm going to have to aim for the horse,_ he realized as he saw her spin around easily. He didn't fancy the thought, but saw no other way as he charged straight for her. However, he didn't step to the side. Rather, he slid under the pegasus and thrusted his sword upward. He could hear a loud shriek of pain erupt from the animal and saw as it reared up and collapsed on the ground.

Cordelia dismounted from the wounded beast and glared at him. "How could you do that?!" she demanded angrily. "This fight is between you and me!"

Gaius looked away, too ashamed to meet her gaze. "There was no other way I could beat you without taking out the horse," he said.

Cordelia rushed at him, her face frozen in a mask of rage. Gaius was surprised, so he reacted a bit late. He felt her spear graze his arm slightly as he parried it, but it didn't hurt enough to pay much attention to. He pushed her off him and slammed her with the flat end of his sword. She staggered backwards and collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath.

Gaius stepped forward and raised his sword over his head at her throat. He moved it so that it was resting right above her jugular. For a moment, the deep, bloodthirsty part of himself wanted to kill her so badly. To make that bitch pay for driving him out so many years ago. But it was gone just as soon as it appeared. He lifted the sword tip just slightly. "I don't want to do this," he said quietly.

"Just like how you didn't want to scream at Severa and make her cry?! Just like how you would hit me as soon as I talked back?!" she snarled.

Gaius flinched. "I was a different man back then. Of course, that's an excuse. I made mistakes. And I'm not going to be like Blue."

"What are you talking about?!" she snapped. "Chrom is _nothing_ like you! He treats us well and never laid a hand on us!"

Gaius found himself smirking slightly. "But that's not how it works, Cordelia. There are several different kinds of abuse. I was a physical abuser. Blue's a psychological abuser."

"Chrom won't be happy if he hears you saying that!"

Gaius lowered his face so that it was right above hers. "Don't you find it a little strange that the first thing you thought of was his reaction? Shouldn't you be thinking more about yourself? After all, if I were you, I would be worrying a lot more about my own life than Chrom's if a sword were pointed at my throat."

Although she didn't answer, Gaius could see that his words had struck true somewhere deep inside her. Despite that, she still struggled faintly. "It's because I love Chrom," she sputtered. "He treats me well and I've always loved him. You've even said as much yourself when you confessed your love to me!"

Gaius just looked sad and regretful. "Trust me; if I were anything more than a violent dumbass, I would have stayed. But I couldn't wrap my tiny, little head around it. But I'm smarter now." He pressed his boot against her throat hard enough so that she couldn't breathe, but not so hard that it did permanent damage. "Sorry I have to do this, but it's the only way to knock you out so you don't go after me."

She struggled for a painful minute or two before going limp. Right as her eyes began to close, Gaius could swear he saw a single tear fall out the corner of her eye. He let out a sigh as she laid limp on the ground. He began to walk towards the palace. _I'm not that man anymore,_ he thought to himself. _This time, I'll stop the abuse instead of starting it._

* * *

Finished chapter nine! I just have a thing or two to explain and a bit of a rant after. First off, I'd like to explain that when Gaius talked to Robin either in the first or second chapter, he mentioned not ever abusing women. He did abuse Cordelia, but he was so ashamed that he vowed never to mention it again. I don't think there's much else to explain, I hope. It's two in the morning, so I'm kinda tired. Plus, I have to get up at 7:30 to go to writing camp.

Also, I just have to rant about my potential husbando for the new Fire Emblem game coming out. I just have to say it's either Joker or Takumi. My only problem with Takumi is that he's your step-brother. Normally, I wouldn't be too bothered by that. But he keeps mentioning it! He's always calling me "Nee-san" or "Nee-chan"! Even in his confession. He's pretty much just like, "Hey, sister, I like you. So even though we're technically related, let's fuck." I just think that's kinda weird. So I guess I could marry Joker, but Takumi has the cutest son… Whatever. Anyway, hope y'all enjoyed~


	10. Reunion

Robin struggled not to betray her confident air as she walked forward. As she fixed her gaze on him, her pulse began to quicken. It was getting harder to breathe, and she could feel a nervous pressure on her bladder. She was finally doing it; she was facing down the man that had stolen so many years of her life.

As she came forward, she could faintly see him smirk. That infuriated her. _What right does he think he has?!_ She gripped the sword tighter and held her chin up. "The time has come to make things right," she announced simply.

Chrom smirked and narrowed his eyes. "Ah, but maybe that moment will have to wait a little longer." He snapped his fingers and the buzzing in Robin's ears faded. She could hear light footsteps approaching from both sides. She readied her weapon and backed up. From her left, Lucina walked out from behind a pillar. From her right, Morgan did the same.

Robin dropped the sword and smiled. In that second, every single moment of despair, misery, grief, and anger from those past 10 years seemed insignificant compared to the sheer elation and joy of seeing her two children in front of her. She could feel the tears rushing down her face as she ran to hug Morgan. "I missed you," she murmured as she ruffled his hair. She hugged him tightly and didn't let go.

For a few moments Morgan didn't reply. Then, "I'm glad to see you too…Mother."

Suddenly, she felt a flash of burning pain right under her rib cage. Robin scrambled backwards and looked down in shock at the growing red stain appearing on her coat. _Did…Morgan do this?_ she wondered. She wanted to just tell herself that it was a wound from earlier that the adrenaline had masked, but upon looking into Morgan's eyes, she realized the bitter truth could no longer be denied. She backed away slowly, still clutching the gash. "Why, Morgan?" she asked, feeling the warm blood leak through her fingers. "It's me, your m-mother…"

Morgan stepped forward, all emotion except for pure hatred showing in his eyes. "I have no mother," he replied icily. The knife he held in his right hand glistened red with blood. _My blood!_ Robin realized.

As he stepped forward, she felt a rising panic climb through her body. _I'm afraid of my own son_ , she thought to herself. She scrambled away, desperately looking for her sword. She quickly realized that Lucina had picked it up. She tried to smile at her daughter. "Um, Lucina?"

Lucina scowled as she lifted up the sword. Without a word of reply, she brought the weapon down with all her might. Robin rolled out of the way and quickly got to her feet. She felt a quick jab of pain and saw the blood spill out a bit more. Her children were trying to kill her without reserve. Morgan and Lucina were cornering her, their eyes filled with hatred and anger. She felt a bit fuzzy in the head. _Is this really happening?_ she wondered faintly. It felt as if she were watching herself instead of being there. Her head felt so heavy. _I'm losing too much blood,_ she realized numbly. Suddenly, her legs gave out from under her and she collapsed onto the ground. She felt her eyes start to cross as her children stood above her. Robin could make out Lucina's figure as she raised the sword.

 _I'm sorry I couldn't stop him,_ she thought. As she accepted her death, she weakly reached out her left hand. "I love you…" she murmured. She closed her eyes as she fell unconscious.

* * *

 **Lucina stopped for a moment upon hearing the dying statement.** For a second, she almost felt like she didn't want to end it. But she shook herself out of it. _I have no mother_ , she told herself as she renewed her grip on the sword. She shakily raised it up once more, but found herself lacking the resolve. _What's wrong with me?_ she wondered. _It's not like she means anything to me. She's just…_ she tried to swing the weapon downward, _my mother,_ she realized. She stopped her actions and dropped the sword. It clattered loudly against the floor, echoing throughout the spacious room. Suppressed memories flooded in through her mind. The happiness of her parents at the birth of her brother, when her mother took her shoppng, how her mother would hold her close at night. All of it was rushing back like it happened yesterday.

Lucina felt the tears run down her face as she realized what she had almost done. "How could I have..?" she sobbed.

Morgan knelt right next to her. "What's wrong?" He sounded alarmed as he tried to grab her shoulders.

"What have we done?!" Lucina cried. She was openly sobbing at that point, and Morgan didn't know what to do about it.

"What are you talking about?!" Morgan demanded finally, thoroughly upset and confused by his sister's actions.

"She's our mother, Morgan. And we tried to kill her," Lucina murmured, her eyes glued to the floor in shame.

Morgan scowled as that familiar look settled back in his eyes. "I don't have a mother," he replied resolutely.

"We do, Morgan," Lucina persisted. "We loved her so much! You may have been a bit younger, but I remember the things she did for us!"

Morgan scowled bitterly. "The only thing I remember her doing for us was abandoning us 10 years ago." In that moment, Lucina saw just how hurt and upset he was from the events of long ago.

She wrapped her arm around his shoulder and hugged him. "She has her reasons, Morgan. We just might never know them."

The only other sound was the distant sound of feet running. Gaius burst into the room and absorbed the scene. When his eyes rested upon his beloved, he immediately drew in a quick breath. "Bubbles!" he shouted. He dashed over and knelt over Robin's body. Paying no mind to the siblings, Gaius picked her wrist up and checked her pulse. After a few moments, he sighed in relief. "She's alive." He frowned. "Unfortunately, she's lost a lot of blood." He picked up her body and brought it near the stairs. Morgan and Lucina followed him, not saying anything but not interfering. Wordlessly, Gaius took the sash he wore around his head off and tied it around the gash. The three knelt around Robin's body, desperately hoping that she would recover.

After a moment, Gaius leaned back and sighed. "I assume you aren't trying to kill us anymore."

Lucina stared at him for a moment. "How did you know that we were ever against you? Robin, I mean Mother, thought we were on her side."

Gaius smiled grimly. "Guys like your father are persuasive. If you're going to spend the next 10 years of your life where the central adult figure in your life is a tyrant like him, you tend to be influenced by the lies that come spewing out of his mouth. Trust me, I've grown up with someone like that, too."

The two remained silent and thoughtful as they all sat. "Why did our mother leave us so many years ago?" Lucina finally asked. She could barely hear Morgan take the slightest intake of breath. She knew that that was the one burning question in his life; _why his own mother abandoned him._

Gaius sighed and fixed his green eyes on them. "That would normally be something I'd want Robin to explain to you. But under the circumstances, I guess I'll have to be her proxy." The mood suddenly turned morbid and serious as Gaius spoke. "Your mother left you 10 years ago because Chrom is an abusive sociopath who couldn't find the compassion to care. I'm sorry to tell the two of you that, but it's the truth. She couldn't take you with her and she couldn't stop it if she stayed. The only way to save you from the fate of being the children of _that man_ , was to leave and try to stop him." The two could see the compassion in his gaze as he continued. "I know for a _fact_ that it killed your mother inside every day that she couldn't save you for 10 years. It was what drove her. It was what she always talked about. You two were her sun; she revolved around you both. And I'm sure that she'll be overjoyed to meet the two of you properly once she wakes up."

"But… But..!" Morgan clenches his hands into fists angrily. "I nearly killed her!" he yelled angrily. "I nearly killed my own mother…"

"Don't…be sad." The voice was raspy and dry-sounding, but pleasing nonetheless.

The three looked down to see that Robin had awoken. She shifted slightly and winced at the pain in her side. "I've waited so long…to see you again," she croaked. "So please…don't be sad. I don't want to see that."

Both Morgan and Lucina hugged her. The two remained silent and just embraced tighter.

Gaius leaned down and gave her a sip out of the canteen he had with his things. After a few moments, Robin swallowed and managed to pull herself into a sitting position.

Morgan and Lucina sat next to her. "We missed you," Lucina admitted.

Robin smiled and opened her arms wide. "Then show it," she said softly, looking affectionately into their eyes. As Lucina hugged her, she began to sob. Robin comforted her daughter and petted her hair slightly. "It'll be all right," she assured them.

Gaius smiled at seeing the happy family together for the first time in 10 years. He had never seen Robin look so happy as she did in that moment. Just the sight of it lightened his heart and made him feel ten times better. He leaned back as they finally separated. "Finally, I get to see the family reunion," he said jokingly.

The three smiled. "You were right, Gaius," Lucina said. "Father did abuse us."

Gaius whistled. "Whoah. I'm surprised you still remember me."

"How did he abuse you?" Robin asked, starting to sound a bit anxious.

"It wasn't anything serious. If we got into any trouble, he wouldn't hesitate to order someone to beat us. Usually a servant or whatever. Sometimes, he'd make Morgan cry by screaming at him. But the last time that happened was a few years ago." Lucina looked up and smiled at Robin. "But I think the worst thing he did was that he twisted our perspectives and opinions to suit himself. He lied to us and everyone else. He told us you were a traitor who tried to kill us all by burning down the house, and fled so you wouldn't get caught."

Robin smiled at her. "But I'm here now. And that's all that matters."

"Yeah," Lucina croaked, the tears welling in her eyes. As the three hugged it out, Gaius looked down at his hands awkwardly.

"I know this is nice and all, but what about Blue? He's still around somewhere. He probably thinks you died fighting Morgan and Lucina."

Robin scowled and thought for a moment. Her grey eyes looked downwards. "There's no other way around it; I'm going to have to fight him."

"But you're injured!" Morgan protested, looking away from the guilt of having caused it in the first place.

Robin smiled and ruffled his hair. "I'm sorry, Morgan. This is my fight and my fight alone. I can't wait for this to heal. It's now or never. And I'm afraid never isn't an option…"

Gaius nodded and suddenly wrapped his arms around Morgan and Lucina. They both struggled, but couldn't free themselves.

"What are you doing?!" Morgan shouted angrily as Robin forced herself up.

"Mother!" Lucina screamed, knowing full well what Robin was about to do.

She smiled at them. "I'm sorry to make you worry like this." They could hear her last words as she walked towards where Chrom ran away. "But I have to end this. I can't go on avoiding this any longer."

Smiling to herself, Robin took solace in the fact that Gaius would look out for her children if anything were to befall her. _I'm coming, Chrom_ , she told herself. _You better watch your back._

* * *

Woohoo, next chapter's out! Writing class has actually been really fun lately. Although, that's probably just because the cutest guy in class actually noticed me! My life has officially become Notice Me, Senpai. Anyway, Gaius' dad used to also be an abusive person, but it didn't impact the story too much besides Gaius' humiliation and self-hatred for doing what his father did to him. It didn't really do too much besides that, so I didn't really take priority in mentioning it. I'm really happy at the reviews I get. They're more constructive than the typical one-shot reviews I receive. Probably because this is still ongoing, so there's a fair chance I'll pay attention. I just have to say I try hard to listen to what my readers have for me. I'm trying not to rush, but as always, I find myself getting into that bad habit. Plus, I always look back on it and it looks a lot larger on Google Docs, so I think it's fine. But I'm going to try and fix up my style and hopefully learn something from writing class. Anyway, hope y'all enjoyed~


	11. Conclusion

Robin started to pant as she headed down the winding halls. _Where the hell did that dastard go?_ she wondered. Clutching her side, she tried not to notice the seeping, warm feeling slowly surrounding her hand. Gaius' headband had done the trick for the moment, but it would only be helpful if Robin stopped and rested. If her heart rate remained at its current rate, her bleeding wouldn't slow down. And if it didn't slow down… She shook her head and gripped the sword. _I can't stop and rest. If I do, he'll get away. It's now or never, Robin._

Hearing a faint echo from around the corner, Robin picked up the pace and found another room. The chamber around her was large and spacious. With its stone walls, it showed signs of water damage. Pieces of the floor were scattered in chunks. Despite the ornate designs on the walls, there was not a single piece of decor in the room. Not even a stone dais for worshipping the gods.

Robin gazed in wary admiration at the craftsmanship of the room. Being located underground and empty must have meant that it was intended to house a large amount of people. As she stepped forward, she could hear her feet echo back at her from around the room. She ignored it and kept walking. As she scanned the room, she couldn't find any sort of exit. _Where did he go?_

She suddenly whipped around just in time to catch Chrom's blade against hers. The snarl on his face was fierce enough to send the toughest of hounds scurrying away. His normally calm, blue eyes reflected sheer madness and anger as he pressed a little more weight onto her.

Robin gritted her teeth and shifted the weight so that he fell off to the side. She swung at him but he deflected it with ample force. They parried each other's strikes, making their way around the room. _He's so angry. He's swinging his sword around with so much force._ She grinned as her eyes met his. _If he's going to use that much force, I can beat him with speed._ She ducked narrowly as he swung the sword. As he struggled to recover the arc of the weapon, she jabbed the blade into his side. He merely snarled at her and stepped forward.

Robin backed up slowly, avoiding the constant stream of blows. _If I keep dodging, I'll find weak points in his defenses._ Suddenly, she felt her back press up against a wall. _Oh, shit!_ Chrom swung the sword at her and she ducked. He moved his feet so she couldn't roll away. She was cornered. He flashed a cocky smile and swung the sword downward. Robin managed to scoot to the side in the tightly-confined space, but felt a numbing jolt shoot through her arm. She saw her hand drop to the ground, unattached to her body. Chrom stopped for a minute as they both stared at it. Robin's eyes did not widen. She simply stared at it, a dull look in her eyes. She raised her right arm, sword in hand, and slashed at Chrom. He ducked and backed away, not realizing in his own confusion what he had just done.

Robin smiled and took a step forward, free from her confines. Barely blinking, she rushed behind Chrom and stabbed him in the back. She pushed the sword in farther and farther, as deep as it would go. She could hear strangled screams coming out of his mouth, but paid no attention. She felt a happy little shudder run through her frame. She grinned as she twisted the sword. Her eyes danced as Chrom screamed louder. She giggled slightly as he fell to the ground. However, upon looking at his twitching, bloody body lying on the ground, she felt a wave of icy-cold horror wash over her. _I enjoyed this. It made me happy to inflict this pain and agony onto him._ She backed up slightly, a small trail of her own blood trickling on the floor. As he looked at her, he could only gasp in pain, the hole in his back gushing red. But the look in his eyes told her all she needed to know. As he reached out his hand, hoping for forgiveness, Robin rested her gaze on it for a moment. Flashing through her mind were all the nights she had spent wondering what he was doing to their children. Or how many times she had woken up gasping for breath, imagining his hands around her throat, imagining his unforgiving expression. Just how many nights she had spent thinking about him, and what he had done to her.

She pressed her boot onto that same hand that had fixed itself around her throat 10 years ago and fixed him with a relentless gaze. "No thanks," she said coldly. She pressed down on the hand, his expression of sorrow and anger fading away as it was replaced by the blank emptiness of death. For a moment, Robin stared at him. As the shock flooded through her, she finally realized that she had done it. She had conquered the demons that had haunted her past. She had stopped the cycle of abuse once and for all.

Suddenly, a wave of pain passed through her body. She gripped the stump of an arm she had left and collapsed on the ground. As the crimson puddle around her grew larger, she smiled. _I'm not afraid of dying._ "I'm not afraid of dying," she said out loud. Her eyes started to close unbidden of her own will. She reached her hand out and silently willed her children to hear her thoughts. _Morgan, Lucina… Now that this is all over, I hope you two can finally make Ylisse happy. I know that in the end, you two made me happy and proud as a mother. And Gaius, I couldn't have asked for a finer person to support me through all the years. You kept me going, and I hope you keep Morgan and Lucina going as well. I love you all…_ She closed her hand as she let out her last breath.

* * *

 **Lucina turned her head as a breeze blew past.**

"What is it?" Morgan asked.

Lucina shook her head and smiled. "It's nothing." She looked up at the clear sky, the castle oddly silent. In that moment, it felt like the world was holding its breath. "I'm just getting a really warm feeling. I feel like everything will be all right."

Morgan smiled. "I feel it too."

Gaius nodded. "Same."

Together, the three looked up at the sky.

Fin

* * *

Yes, I know I was rushing as always, and I know it was short. As for this story, well, I hope to write another one some day and have it be better. This one I really enjoyed working on, but I could have done better. I don't plan on fixing it because I want people to come back here in the future and to realize it's okay to leave your mistakes out in the open where you and others can learn about them. Some day, I hope to write another chapter fic and have it be a large improvement over this one. But for now, I just have to say goodbye.

On another note, hope y'all enjoyed~


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